Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 71, 18^th June 2001

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

Wednesday 20^th June

14:30 - 17:00 Stage 3 of the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill.

17:00 - 17:30 Members' Business: National Carers' Week 11 - 17 June 2001 (Karen Whitefield (LAB)

Thursday 21^st June

09:30 - 10:55 SNP Debate: Scotland's Place in the World

10:55 - 12:15 SNP Debate: Central Heating for Elderly People

12:15 - 12:45 (approx.) Ministerial Statement: Subject to be confirmed

14:30 - 15:10 Question Time

15:10 - 15:30 First Minister's Question Time

15:30 - 17:00 Scottish Parliament Corporate Body Debate: The Holyrood Project

17:00 - 17:30 Members Business: Young Carers (Donald Gorrie (Lib Dem))

IN COMMITTEE

Likely highlights from the Committee Chambers this week are:

• Equal Opportunities discusses its report on travelling people in private.
• Justice 1 takes evidence for its Legal Aid Inquiry and agrees the remit for an inquiry into the Regulation of the Legal Profession.
• Rural Development continues consideration of a draft report on the Wild Mammals Bill.
• Local Government takes evidence for an inquiry into aspects of the Kerley report.
• Transport and Environment will consider formally the controversial petition laid by Friends of the Earth calling for an independent inquiry on fish farming. 

SECTION 2 - NEWS

BETTER BEHAVIOUR - BETTER LEARNING

Education Minister Jack McConnell has today called on every school in Scotland to produce a discipline policy closely linked to learning and teaching.

Speaking at the launch of a report aimed at tackling poor discipline in Scotland’s schools, the Minister said that councils and government must support schools in setting discipline policies which had high expectations, rewards, sanctions and a dress code.

Signalling a new focus on addressing the problem, the Minister added:

"We need to look forward at new solutions for what is a complex problem. One of the areas which needs to be looked at afresh is that of exclusions.

"I want to adapt alternatives to exclusions to use targets and funding to support positive behaviour plans and action to improve discipline in schools.

"The Discipline Task Group report I am launching today makes 36 wide ranging recommendations for schools, local authorities and government.

"I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Executive will take immediate action on a number of those and develop an action plan by the autumn.

Among the other top priorities outlined by the Minister were:

• A national unit will be set up to promote best practice on school discipline and better behaviour
• Support for ‘staged intervention’ pilot programmes through the Framework for Intervention initiative. These will provide a structured programme for dealing with discipline problems at an early stage
• A review of the Scottish Executive’s Excellence Fund so that schools have more flexibility in responding to local needs. Funds will be used to support positive behaviour plans, as well as alternatives to exclusion
• Examining planned funding to make sure that when schools have to remove pupils from class to deal with problems, they have the special facilities required
• Senior pupils should set a lead as mentors/’buddies’ for junior pupils
• The reviews of initial teacher education and continuing professional development will identify the skills teachers need to ensure they are good classroom managers.

Full Story

TRAINING PROGRAMME LAUNCHED TO TACKLE ALCOHOL AND DRUG MISUSE

People with alcohol and drug abuse problems are to receive improved care and support, thanks to a new Executive-funded national training programme, launched by the Deputy Justice Minister, Iain Gray and Deputy Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm.

The Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA) programme, devised by the University of Glasgow and the UK’s leading drugs charity - DrugScope, will help staff and managers recognise, assess and tackle, alcohol and drug misuse problems.

A national programme of education and training is a key element in the national policies for tackling alcohol and drug misuse in Scotland. It will play an important part in supporting each of the four overarching pillars of the drugs strategy: Young People, Communities, Treatment and Availability. The programme will target professionals who work with key groups - people with mental health problems, offenders, women, young people and substance misusing-parents.

STRADA is a new partnership between the University of Glasgow and Drugscope. The University of Glasgow part of the partnership includes the Centre for Drugs Research and the Department of Adult and Continuing Education. DrugScope is a GB voluntary organisation with members in Scotland.

Under the STRADA programme, training will be provided free for healthcare and social worker staff. A charging system will be in place for police, prison and education staff.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY sees another piece of legislation scheduled to be passed - Cathie Craigie's (LAB) Private Member’s Bill on Mortgage Rights.

The Scottish Executive (who assisted with the drafting) supports the Bill and Shelter, the Chartered Institute of Housing, and the Council of Mortgage Lenders were all involved in the informal consultation which took place before the Bill was drafted.

This fairly short Bill has two main policy objectives:

• ‘To seek to reduce repossessions and homelessness arising out of repossessions by giving the court powers to stop repossession orders being implemented while the debtor has the opportunity to rectify their default.’
• ‘To provide greater protection for tenants of those in default.’

The Bill seeks to introduce a legislative provision that will allow the Sheriff to take the debtor’s circumstances into account and to suspend enforcement of the lender’s rights - that is stop repossession - if appropriate.

The Bill will require the court to consider:

• Whether the applicant might be able to repay the debt and arrears or fulfil the obligations under the standard security within a reasonable time.
• If this is not possible, however, it will allow the enforcement process to be delayed to give the applicant and household a reasonable amount of time to find alternative accommodation.

Where possible it will allow the debtor and their family to remain in their own home and avoid the pain of repossession.

The Bill proposes to amend the form of calling up notice and notice of default so that notices are sent to the debtor, but also other people who may be living in the property, such as tenants, when the landlord is the debtor.

The new form of notice would explain that the action is being raised, and advise the person to seek advice on their legal rights.

The Bill is relatively short, and can be downloaded from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parl_bus/bills/b19s1.pdf The Explanatory Notes are also useful: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parl_bus/bills/b19s1en.pdf as is the Social Justice Committee’s Stage 1 Report: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/social-00/sor00-04-01.htm

The day closes with a Member's Debate on National Carers' Week from Labour's Karen Whitefield.

THURSDAY morning sees debate on motions from the SNP on Scotland's Place in the World and the Executive's free Central Heating for Elderly People programme. At the time of writing, neither motion has been published and so further details are unavailable.

After Question Time and First Minister's Question Time, there is a debate on a Scottish Parliament Corporate Body motion on its report into The Holyrood Project.

The SPCB report provides a detailed analysis of the outstanding risks associated with the project and updates members of the current position regarding cost and programme. The motion "directs the SPCB, through the Holyrood Progress Group, to work with the design and project teams to complete the project without compromising quality, while managing risks rigorously, and requires the SPCB, on a quarterly basis, to provide information to the Parliament’s Finance Committee on the progress of the project in respect of inflation and materialisation of risk in order to inform the committee’s consideration of the annual Budget Bill."

Contrary to some press reports, the motion does not give the SPCB a blank cheque. On a quarterly basis, the SPCB must report to the Finance committee on the progress of the project in respect of inflation and materialisation of risk.

John Home Robertson (LAB), Linda Fabiani (SNP) and Jamie Stone (LIB DEM) are currently members of the Holyrood Progress Group, which reports to the Corporate Body and oversees the progress of the Holyrood project.

Continuing the caring theme in this week's Members' Business, proceedings conclude with a debate on Young Carers from Liberal Democrat, Donald Gorrie.

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